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IntroductionAccording to the editorial policy of "Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture", fashion is defined as "... the cultural construction of the embodied identity". As such, it encompasses all forms of self-fashioning, including street styles, as well as so-called high fashion created by designers and couturiers. Fashion also alludes to the way in which things are made; to fashion something is to make it in a particular form. Most commonly, fashion is defined as the prevailing style of dress or behaviour at any given time, with the strong implication that fashion is characterized by change. As Shakespeare wrote: "The fashion wears out more apparel than the man." There are fashions in furniture, automobiles and other objects, as well as in clothing, although greater attention is paid to sartorial fashion, probably because clothing has such an intimate relationship with the physical body and, by extension, the personal identity of the individual. "A Fashion Data Base" is clothes centric and normally will not contain "Wearable Art", the latter being more associated with the "look" rather than the comfort, practicality of production and giving a unique, holistic and uniform season of clothing.

The manufacturing of clothes has always been affected by technological advances. The sewing machine revolutionized the clothing industry in the nineteenth century and zippers altered clothing construction when they were perfected for use in the 1930s. In the early 2000s, technological innovations in fabrics influence how designers think about clothing, with textiles being developed that have properties unheard of in natural fibers. The abilities of these high-tech fabrics to stretch to over-whelming sizes or change their structure according to temperatures, inspire clothing designers and so blurred the lines between fashion and industrial design.

Carbon fiber heels.

A popular belief is that there is a great difference between high fashion and ordinary clothes, but this is not the case. Designers such as Chanel and Dior sold expensive fashionable clothes to a relatively small number of people, but their designs were widely copied by main-stream manufacturers, who sold the imitations for a fraction of the price of the originals to a much wider clientele.

Devil Wears Prada. Here Miranda Priestly (Meryl Steep) chastises Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway) with the history of her cerulean colored jumper. Note: Cerulean, also spelt caerulean, is a color term that may be applied to certain colors with the hue ranging roughly between blue and cyan, overlapping with both. It also largely overlaps with azure and sky blue, although cerulean is dimmer.

Another popular misconception is that men do not wear or support fashion. While it is true that men's clothing changes more slowly and subtly than women's clothing, it too follows fashion. For example, in the 1980s Giorgio Armani designed fashionable men's suits and jackets that had a profound influence on menswear generally.

1980s Giorgio Armani men’s wool/alpaca/cashmere blazer sport coat.

Finally, it is widely assumed that changes in fashion "reflect" societal change and/or the financial interests of fashion designers and manufacturers. However, recent research indicates that there also exist "internal taste mechanisms," which drive changes in fashion even in the absence of significant social change. Particularly relevant is Stanley Lieberman's research on fashions in children's first names, which are clearly unaffected by commercial interests. No advertisers promoted “street fashion” and yet it occurred at bottom of the fashion totem pole, and then worked its way up.

It is impossible to give a comprehensive and all-inclusive “Fashion Data Base”. Nevertheless, below I have constructed - from several sources [1-5] - a non-comprehensive beginning. The “A Fashion Data Base” will be updated from time-to-time. I hope it will assist students and teachers of textiles alike!

A Fashion Data Base (Edition 1)[1-5]The data base is organized around the influential period of the fashion designers rather than when they were born or when they died. Below is a snap shot of designers who defined fashion history.

Emile Pingat (1820 - 1901)
Influential Period: 1860 - 1896
Largely forgotten and often marginalised, French designer Emile Pingat was a pre-eminent couturier of the 19th Century with a reputation and skill that rivalled and surpassed that of his English contemporary Charles Frederick Worth. Active between the years of 1860 and 1896, Pingat dressed the court of the Second Empire of Paris and his designs were highly sought after. The couturier was lauded for his adroit ability to seamlessly incorporate and manipulate multiple design elements such as embroidery, beading, trim and pattern whilst referencing exotic influences and historical elements into one final, finished garment. Pingat would offer a wide variety of garments, however, he became known for his exemplary opera coats and mantles, making exquisite outerwear a Pingat-signature.

Cape by Emile Pingat (ca. 1895).

Charles Fredrick Worth (1825 - 1895)
Influential Period: Latter Half of the 19th Century
Worth is largely known as “...the father of couture”. He revolutionized the practice of dressmaking by dictating trends and new looks to his wealthy clients, most notably Empress Josephine of France. Worth created the fashion show and the concept of in-house models.

House of Charles-Frederick Worth, Ball Grown (1898).

Jacques Doucet (1860 - 1932)
Influential Period: Latter Half of the 19th - Early 20th Century
Jacques Doucet was a Parisian whose shop on the Rue de ls Paix dealt in fine laces, bonnets and gentleman's shirts and cravats. Jacques showed a profound and early interest in fashion. After the Franco-Prussian war in 1871 he opened up a department within his father's business designing ladies dresses. Doucet's love and wide knowledge of French 18th Century art brought a strong Rococo influence to his clothes with plentiful laces, ribbons, panniers and flounces. Doucet exhibited in the Paris Exposition of 1900 with Paquin and Worth. He apprenticed both Poiret and Vionnet during his career. When he retired in 1928, he merged his House with the lesser-known Doeuillet.

Doucet's Afternoon Dress (1900-1903).

Madame Joseph Paquin (1869 - 1936)
Influential Period: 1891 - 1920s
The House of Paquin opened in 1891 on the fashionable Rue de la Paix, Paris. Its founder was Madame Joseph Paquin, the wife of a prominent banker, who had trained at Maison Rouff. Sound management and beautiful designs led to the success of the House and Madame Paquin became the first person since Rose Bertin to achieve importance in haute couture. Acting as her own mannequin, she wore Paquin's gowns to society functions and at the Paris Exposition of 1900 she exhibited a wax figure of herself. She was the first couturier to take groups of models to the opera and races and always concluded her shows with a tableau of girls dressed in a blaze of white or palest green or gold. These were her favourite colors and from them she created shimmering elegant evening gowns. A skilled organiser, she endeavoured to unite top French dressmakers in world-wide promotions. She opened a house in London in 1912 and later branches in Madrid and Buenos Aires. Her personal connection with the business ended in 1920, but the House of Paquin remained open until 1956.

Gustav Beer (1875 - 1929)
Influential Period: Latter Half of the 19th Century - 1930s
Gustav Beer was the first couturier to open a House on the historic Place Vendôme in Arms, about 1905. He was born in Germany and moved to Paris in 1905. He was regarded as one of the most expensive couturiers in Paris at the turn of the 20th Century and into the 1920s. Beer produced feminine dresses both for day and evening wear and was particularly popular for his lingerie designs. Beer's clothes became so successful that he opened two more stores, one in Pizza (Italy) and another in Monte Carlo. In 1931 the House merged with Agnes-Drecoll, although Beer dresses continued to be made untill 1953.

Evening Dress by Gustave Beer (ca. 1919).

Jeanne Hallée (1873 - 1948)
Influential Period: 1890s - 1914
Although the House of Jeanne Hallée was a very prestigious establishment that flourished from 1890s until World War I, little information of Jeanne Hallée herself has come to light. However, the number of dresses that have survived attests to her popularity and bespeaks to the high quality of her workmanship. Like her contemporaries, Doucet, Beer and Lanvin in the late 1890s and early 1900s, Hallée turned to the fashion of the 18th Century for inspiration. The appearance of Ballets Ruses in Paris in 1909 brought a strong flavour of the Orient to fashion. Hallée embodied this new spirit and created clothes that reflected Eastern forms and colors.

Jeanne Hallée (ca. 1894).

Martial Lépée
Influential Period: Early 20th Century
In the early 20th Century tailored clothes had gained such importance in fashion that by the end of the first decade most couturiers included them in their collections. Smaller, lesser known establishments, such as Martial Lépée, made suits of fine quality.

Paul Poiret (1879 – 1944)
Influential Period: 1910s
Poiret popularized dresses that did not require a corset and exemplified the creative spirit of the burgeoning new century, particular Orientalism. Poiret expanded his successful couture collections with new marketing ventures such as perfumes, cosmetics, accessories and even interior design products.

Paul Poiret fits a woman with one of his flamboyant creations. He made it his mission to make women’s fashion bright, fun and exotic.

Mariano Fortuny (1871 - 1949)
Influential Period: 1910s
A true Renaissance man, Fortuny was a prolific artisan who dabbled in textiles, clothing interior design, decorative arts, sculpture, painting and more. His most notable contribution to fashion was his Greek-inspired, wrinkled silk dresses that were worn by actresses and wealthy women, along with exquisite, hand-painted, silk and velvet cocoon coats.

Hattie Carnegie (1880 - 1956)
Influential Period: 1909 - 1920</
She could neither cut nor sew, however, Hattie Carnegie would establish one of the most successful fashion houses in early 20th Century, New York. Born Henrietta Kanengeiser, Hattie changed her surname to Carnegie, after the richest man in America and was soon dressing members of that very same class she hoped to associate herself with. Carnegie began her career as a milliner in 1909 with partner Rose Roth and by 1918 Carnegie owned the company, operating as design director for the fashion House that dressed the likes of Mrs. William Randolph Hearst, the Duchess of Windsor and Norma Shearer - amongst others. Although Carnegie designs were often mere copies of designs created by Parisian couturiers, this was the common practice of American designers of that day. It allowed members of American high society to dress in the latest fashions. Hattie Carnegie is credited with promoting the careers of Pauline Potter, Norman Norell, Claire McCardell, James Galanos, Jean Louis and Travis Banton - all began their careers at Hattie Carnegie.

House of Collot Soeurs (House established in 1895)
Influential Period: 1916 - 1926
The three Callot sisters were of Russian origin and daughter of an antique dealer. When thinking of a designer who co-opted Orientalist elements into dress, Paul Poiret is almost exclusively credited. Although Poiret was a large proponent of exoticism, he was not the only designer or necessarily the first. The couture House Callot Soeurs, opened in 1895 quickly became one of the most influential, premiere houses of the period, incorporating Eastern influences into their designs. Under the design leadership of Marie, Callot Soeurs was known for kimono-style dresses and Persian-inspired tunic and legging ensembles, all exquisitely embellished in paillettes and beads. Callot Soeurs styles were also revered for their use of imported Chinese silks, antique lace and the sisters were one of the first to design with lamé. Proust was said to have criticized their clothes as overtly fussy.

Captain Edward Molyneux (1891 - 1974)
Influential Period: 1919 - 1946
Edward Molyneux was an aristocrat of Huguenot descent, a fine sportsman and a gifted artist who was born in Ireland. At the age of 17 he join the House of Lecile as a sketcher, working and traveling with that couturier until 1914. During the World War I Molyneux served as a Captain with the British Army and unfortunately lost an eye. When the war was over he moved to Paris to resume his career and opened up his own House in 1919. He was an instant success and became couturier to many ladies notably the Princess Marina for whom he created a wedding dress and trousseau. Molyneux made alluring clothes, enhance with purity of line, that included printed silk suits with pleated skirts, tailored navy blue suits, coats and capes in his favourite soft shaded colors. He was superstitious with a particular feeling for the number 5 and so he always opened his collection of the fifth day of the month. During World War II the House was closed but he resumed his place at the Paris House in 1946. He expanded his business into furs, lingerie, millinery and perfumes. By the 1950s his eye sight was failing him and he was forced to hand over his business to Jacques Griffe. He reopened in Paris in 1965 for a short while and then returned to the Riviera where he remained until his death.

H. Jaeckel & Sons (1863 - 1930)
Influential Period: 1920s
The company of H. Jaeckel and Sons was established in 1863, situated at an exclusive address on New York's Fifth Avenue. A furrier, Jaeckel was long revered as the finest in the city for both the quality of its furs and for the excellent tailoring and design. Parcel coat and wraps were created by the House designers, supplemented by a selection of the best Paris models for each season. During the 1920s no discerning American woman would be without a Jaeckel sable or mink. The company also kept a range of woolen coats, each enhanced by fur trimming and a choice of accessories.

Mainbocher (1890 - 1976)
Influential Period: 1920s to 1940s
Main Rousseau Bocher grew up in Chicago as an aspiring opera singer. In 1917 he travelled to Europe with the intention of studying and developing his talents in art and music. Upon settling in Paris he worked as a sketcher for Harpers Bazaar and in this field his career advanced quickly until he became the fashion editor for French Vogue in 1922 - a post he held for seven years. In 1929 Mainbocher (as he called himself) opened his own fashion House, becoming the first American to succeed as a dressmaker in France. He maintained his business until 1939 and achieve international fame in 1936 for designing the wedding gown and trousseau of the Dutchess of Windsor. Mainbocher returned to New York in 1940 opening a House there the following year. He is remembered for his beaded silk and fur-lined cardigans, corselet waists, strapless evening gowns, sleeveless day dresses and glamorous apron accessories for the "little black dress". He closed his salon in 1971 and return to Europe where he spent his remaining years.

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor on their wedding day at the Château de Condé in France, June 3rd, 1937. The duchess’s wedding dress is by Mainbocher in a color designed just for her which was dubbed - “Wallis blue.” Keyston Getty Archive.

Jeanne Lanvin (1867 - 1946)
Influential Period: 1920s - present
Lanvin began her career in millinery, then shifted her business to children's wear. She received such a positive response from women that she shifted again to focus primarily on womenswear, while retaining the youthful color palette and exuberance. The House of Lavin is still open.

Jeanne Lanvin, Dress (1924-1925).

Eldridge Manning
Influential Period: 1920s
During the 1920s while Jeanne Lanvin was defying fashion trends in Paris with her romantic robes de style, the New York designer Eldridge Manning was flying the same flag on the other side of the Atlantic. His dresses showed pure nostalgia in their closely fitted and ornamental bodies and long skirts which poured onto the floor in yards of golden and pearl-hued silk. These flowing gowns of refined and subtle beauty had a special place in every women's dreams. Eldridge Manning catered very successfully to this need.

Jean Patou (1880 - 1936)
Influential Period: 1920s
Apart from producing Joy, one of the world’s most expensive perfumes, Jean Patou was primarily known for developing sportswear for women that took advantage of the new importance of their independence, physical activity and health. The House of Patou has employed Karl Lagerfeld, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Christian Lacroix, among other notable designers.

Jean Patou “Chic” sportswear.

Madeleine Vionnet (1876 – 1975)
Influential Period: 1920s to 1930s
Vionnet contributed significantly to the technical aspects of dressmaking. Known for her work with the bias cut, Vionnet created dresses that took advantage of the new focus on physical health and slimness. She shifted the emphasis of construction away from pattern drafting to draping cloth on a figure, which allowed for graceful, fluid innovations.

Madeleine Vionnet’s Grecian-style dresses.

Elsa Schiaparelli (1890 - 1973)
Influential Period: 1920s to 1930s
Without any formal training, Schiaparelli broke the rules to create fanciful and daring clothing and accessories. Schiaparelli created artistic fashion pieces of humor that appealed to a wide audience and was inspired by her associations with artists Salvador Dali, Christian Bérard, and Jean Cocteau. Her iconic light-heel-pump hat and the elegant gown - that featured a large lobster painted on the side - reflected the surrealist art movement.

The famous 'Lobster Dress' by Salvador Dali and Elsa Schiaparelli.

Gabrielle Chanel (1883 – 1971)
Influential Period: 1920s to 1960s
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel shifted the prevailing aesthetic of the 1920s from ornate clothing to sleek, unadorned and a modern look. After its success in the 1920s and 1930s, the House of Chanel was closed during Word War II. In 1954, at the age of seventy, Chanel staged a comeback, reformulating her easy silhouettes for the needs of professional women in the 1950s and 1960s.

Coco Chanel 1920. The creator of - "The Little Black Dress".

Adrian - Gilbert Adrian Greenburgh (1903 - 1959)
Influential Period: 1920s to 1940s
The work of American designer, Adrian, will be known to millions of people although his name will not always be familiar. After studying at the Paris branch of the Parsons School of design, he went into theatre and became a costume designer for Broadway productions. In 1923 he moved to M.G.M. film studios and it was there that he gained his reputation as Hollywood's top designer and reigned supreme for sixteen years. Adrian created the wide and exaggerated padded shoulders for actress Joan Crawford and he poured Jean Harlow into the slinky dresses which became her hallmark. His couture and ready-to-wear salon in Los Angles opened in 1942 and in 1944 he received the Coty award for fashion. Adrian sparked new attitudes towards fabrics when he used checked gingham for tailored suits. In 1952 he retired to Bazil and devoted his time to painting landscapes.

Augusta Bernard (1886 - 1946)
Influential Period: 1930s
Uniting her first and last names, like many designers of the period, Augusta Bernard (also written as Augustabernard) opened her Parisian salon de couture in 1923. However, she gained significant recognition years later in the early 1930s. Like her contemporaries Madeleine Vionnet and Madame Grès, Augusta Bernard focused on evening wear that followed the neo-classical aesthetic of the period. Augusta Bernard dresses were often cut on the bias and constructed together in a piecemeal-like fashion to achieve asymmetry and further dimension whilst remaining unadorned. In 1935, Augusta Bernard ceased making dresses due to the onset of the Great Depression. Due to the relatively short run of the couturier and its high exclusivity, today Augusta Bernard dresses are rare to come by. However, they were widely coverted and highly lauded by the fashion press of the period.

Augusta Bernard gown - Vogue (1933).

Madame Grés (1903 – 1993)
Influential Period: 1930s
Alix Crés first love was sculpture, which became evident in the sculpted gowns that she had created. In 1936 she began using silk jersey, which had never been used in eveningwear before. Her travels to North Africa, Egypt and India inspired beautiful gowns for her Western audience.

Marcelle Chaumont (1891 - 1990)
Influential Period: 1930s to 1950s
Marcelle Chaumont had shown an aptitude for dressmaking and design from childhood and was taken to Paris by her mother. In 1912 she had the good fortune to be apprenticed as an assistant to Madeleine Vionnet. Vionnet greatly admired her work and they became close friends and collaborators. Over the next twenty-five years the two women worked very closely together on collections. In 1939, when Vionnet retired, Marcelle Chaumont set up her own House with designs very much influenced by her previous association. Pierre Cardin worked in her studio early in his career. Chaumont was the first to launch an expensive ready-to-wear boutique in the early 1950s, under the label "Juliette Verneuli". In 1953 she retired due to ill health.

Vera Maxwell (1904 - 1995)
Influential Period: 1930s - 1950s
Vera Maxwell, an American, trained as a ballet dancer and became interested in design while working as a part-time model. She is acknowledged as a craftswomen of a highly original designer uninfluenced by the dictates of Paris. She worked first with sportswear and coat firms before opening her own business in New York. Her first big success was with a classic riding jacket, revamped for the street and worn with a grey flannel shirt. She believed in classic mix and match separates using the finest quality fabrics including Scottish tweed, wool jersey and raw silk. Her inspiration has often been found in men's tailoring and fabrics. Noteworthy in her career are her "weekend wardrobe" of 1935, the Chesterfield coat and slacks, wrap-tie blouses and braid-edged mandarin coat with slit sides. She was honored by a retrospective show at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. in 1970.

Maxwell tweed (1952).

Norman Hartnell (1901 - 1979)
Influential Period: 1930s - 1950s
Designer to the British royal family, Sir Norman Bishop Hartnell opened his English couture House in 1923 and soon began designing for the aristocracy and members of high society. In 1935, Hartnell received his first commission for the royal family, designing bridesmaids dresses for Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth) and her sister, Princess Margaret. In 1937, King George VI ascended to the throne, choosing Hartnell to dress the royal family for the March coronation and even showing the couturier court portraits painted by 19th Century portraitist, Franz Xaver Winterhalter. Winterhalter’s portraits of aristocratic women dressed in soft, ethereal gowns inspired Hartnell to inject a sense of romance into his designs. Today, Hartnell's work is credited with anticipating Dior’s romantic "New Look" fashions and is most remembered for the wedding gown he designed for Queen Elizabeth in 1947 and her coronation gown in 1953.

Beril Jents (1918 - 2013)
Influential Period: 1930s - 1980s
Beril Jents was an Australian fashion designer. She is recognized as "Australia’s first queen of haute couture" and specialized in evening and bridal wear, although the term "haute couture" is not strictly correct in this context as it refers to high-end made-to-measure fashion design. She was noted in hundreds of features in newspapers and advertisements during her career from the 1930s to 1980s and was patronized by socialites and creatives; the majority from Sydney and Brisbane. International clients included Elizabeth Taylor, Janet Gaynor, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Vivien Leigh, Eartha Kitt, Bo Derek and Winifred Atwell. Jents was almost unique as an Australian fashion designer during the 1940s and 1950s as she did not just copy European or Parisian styles but produced original work. She was recognized by her contemporaries such as Norman Hartnell. Her most notable and original collections include the Potato Sack of 1947 and Pan Am collection of 1948. Important designs included the peg-bottom trousers inspired by the Zoot Suit.

Beril Jents (1960).

Philp Mangone (1884 - 1957)
Influential Period: 1940s
Philip Mangone's father was a tailor in one of the European courts. It was later, when his father had moved to a workroom in New York, that Philip became an apprentice learning the finer points of cutting and draping. At the age of 19 he was employed by a tailoring company and sent to Paris. By the time he was 27 he was head of his own business. Mangone became a master of his art, renowned for the use of fabrics and clever fur timings and linings. His superbly made coats and suits had wonderful fit that was never rigid nor unfeminine. Although he began to design in the 1920s, his greatest success came during the 1940s.

Claire McCardell (1905 – 1958)
Influential Period: 1940s to 1950s
McCardell was essential in the development of American sportswear as we know it today. During World War II, France was cut off from the rest of the world and American fashion designers had their first chance to exert their influence. McCardell developed easy-to-wear practical clothing that was based on mix-and-match separates. She is best known for the monastic dress, the popover dress and the leotard.

Norman Norell (1900 – 1972)
Influential Period: 1940s to 1950s
Novell came into prominence during World War II when France was cut-off from the English speaking world. He developed clothing that established the American look with luxury fabrics in easy-to-wear silhouettes and is particularly known for his sequined-covered "mermaid gowns”. Norell’s career spanned decades, making him a staple of the American fashion industry.

Norman Norell’s sequined-covered mermaid gown (Fall/Winter 1963).

Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895 – 1972)
Influential Period: 1940s to 1950s
Balenciaga was a master of cut and precision, creating soft and elegant geometry on the body. He achieved a structured look without heavy boning by developing or using non-traditional fabrics such as silk gazar and silk ottoman. Spanish by birth, Balenciaga brought a romantic Spanish aesthetic to 1950s Paris, popularizing lace, the bolero and red and black.

Cristóbal Balenciaga’s silk ottoman bouffant evening dress (1957).

Christian Dior (1905 – 1957)
Influential Period: Late 1940s to 1950s
In 1947, Dior introduced his ground-breaking corolla collection to a war-weary Parisian audience. Overnight, the focus on fashion shifted to include wasp waists, slim shoulders and full skirts that used yards of fabric. Dior continually defined feminine elegance season after season, introducing new looks during his relatively short career, which was ended by his untimely death in 1957.

Christian Dior (1954).

Pauline Trigère (1912 - 2002)
Influential Period: Late 1940s to 1990s
Parisian-born Pauline Trigère was born to Russian Jews, fleeing Paris for New York City in 1937 in fear of Hitler’s increasing power. The daughter of tailors, Trigère became a skilled couture-quality dressmaker, prompting her to found the House of Trigère in 1942. The award-winning designer’s aesthetic consisted of well-cut, deceivingly simply garments with often unidentifiable seams, pieces that were both effortless and versatile for the quintessential American woman, of which Trigère epitomized herself. Trigère was her own best model, dressing exclusively in her own designs. Although Edith Head claims responsibility, Trigère was credited with designing the wardrobe of the female antagonist of Breakfast at Tiffany’s played by Patricia Neal. In 1993, Trigère was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Hardy Amies (1909 - 2003)
Influential Period: Late 1940s to 2000s
Born Edwin Amies, the designer set up his Savile Row couture House under the name Hardy Amies in 1945. After designing for the Houses of Lachasse and Worth, Amies was financially backed by actress and ex-wife to Cary Grant, Virginia Cherrill. Amies continued the longstanding tradition of the English tailor-made and established himself as an expert tailor of both mens and womenswear. In 1950, Amies received his first royal commission, dressing Queen Elizabeth for a state trip to Canada. Five years later, the designer would succeed Norman Hartnell, receiving the royal warrant as dressmaker to the Queen. Today, Amies remains the sole surviving English House of the postwar years after Claire Malcolm revived the label in January of 2012.

Model Wenda in a Hardy Aimes Suit.

Charles James (1906 – 1978)
Influential Period: 1950s
James created eveningwear dresses that were feats of engineering and construction. Each ball gown perfectly shapes and sculpts the wearer, while remaining comfortable. Unfortunately James’ personality truncated his career and often preceded his dressmaking accomplishments.

Hubert de Givenchy (1927 - )
Influential Period: 1950s to 1960s
Givenchy’s association with Audrey Hepburn often overshadowed the talent and importance of this French designer. It just so happens that Givenchy created elegant and incredibly chic clothing for his famous muse. Givenchy was known for his clean, simple clothing that often featured whimsical trim or detail.

Audrey Hepburn wearing dress by Givenchy in the movie Sabrina.

Pierre Cardin (1922 - )
Influential Period: 1950s to 1960s
Cardin is best known for his space-age work in the 1960s and for his prodigious licencing agreements. Cardin was the first French couturier who broke with the Chambre Syndicale to design ready-to-wear and then a line of mens- and childrenware, which many designers do today.

Menswear by Pierre Cardin.

Emilio Pucci (1914 - 1992)
Influential Period: 1950s to 1960s
An Italian nobleman by birth, Pucci was introduced to fashion by designing his own ski uniform. He introduced capri pants to the world in the 1950s as relaxed daywear for women. Pucci is best known for his unique and easily recognizable colorful silk prints featuring geometric and organic shapes.

Emilio Pucci – Pre-fall 2014.

Anne Klein (1923 – 1974)
Influential Period: 1950s to 1970s
A quintessential New York designer, Anne Klein had a long career creating easy, wearable mix-and-match clothing that answered young professional women’s needs. She was the first designer to develop in-store boutiques, in which major department stores sectioned off part of the floor specifically for her merchandize - a standard practice today.

Yves Saint Laurent (1936 – 2008)
Influential Period: 1950s to 1980s
Few designers have been able to define the quixotic nature of the latter half of the twentieth century as well as Saint Laurent. Throughout his career he was able to characterize the changing attitudes of women and their position within society. From legitimizing pants suits for women in the 1960s to adapting utilitarian garments for high fashion and creating interest in ethnic diversity, Saint Laurent forged the way for others to follow.

Yves Saint Laurent dresses.

Hermés (The House was established in 1837)
Influential Period: 1950s to present
Hermés originated in Paris in 1837 as Thierry Hermés, saddler and harness maker, supplying the crowned heads of Europe. The business was passed down through the family and over the years accessories, toilet articles, boots and jewelery were added to create the Hermés House of Leather and Fashion. The Hermés hallmark scarf, still in production, retains the "horsey" theme of the company printed on silk. A grandson of the founder, Emile Hermés took complete control of the company in 1920 and updated the designs. He was the first to incorporate zippers in handbags and luggage. The couture side was primarily started with leather garments, sweaters, capes and shoes. Later ready-to-wear Hermés Sport was introduced in a new store. Starting with the fall 2004 collection, Jean Paul Gaultier became the head designer at Hermès. In May 2010, he announced he would be leaving the company. He was replaced by Christophe Lemaire.

Prue Acton (1943 - )
Influential Period: 1960s - 1980s
In 1963 Australian fashion designer Prue Acton established her own fashion design business in Flinders Lane, Melbourne and by age 21 she was turning over 350 designs a year and selling an average of 1,000 dresses a week through 80 outlets in Australia and New Zealand. As her fashion business took off, Acton also began to develop her own range of cosmetics to complement the range. In 1967 she became the first Australia female designer to mount a show of her own range of garments in New York. By 1982 the estimated world-wide sales of her designs were $11 million with garments sold in Australia, Japan, USA, Canada and New Zealand and her designs made under licence in America, Japan and Germany. Acton also designed the Australian Olympic uniforms - (1978, Lake Placid, USA), (1984, Los Angeles) and (1988, Seoul).

A dress by Prue Acton.

Arnold Scaasi (1931 - )
Influential Period: 1960s - 2000
Canadian-born Arnold Scaasi is one of America's last existing custom designers. Originally named Isaacs, he reversed the spelling of his name to give it a more exotic sound, which he prefers. He studied in Paris and worked for Paquin before returning to the fashion district of New York, where he joined Charles James. Scaasi opened his own wholesale business in 1956 and has had a custom saloon since 1963. His speciality is the creation of dramatic evening clothes in luxurious fabrics, lavished with fur or feathers and intricately cut, that appealed to a very glamorous market.

White organdie blouse; black alligator leather slacks (1963).

Paco Rabanne (1934 - )
Influential Period: 1960s
Rabanne’s work was heavily influenced by architecture, the space age and jewelery-making techniques. His work with linked metal chains and plastic disks is iconographic; his distinctive technique of using unique and unconventional materials has been influential for many designers.

André Courréges (1923 - )
Influential Period: 1960s
Courréges defined the era’s fascination with all things space age for a whole generation by constructing clean, geometric, futuristic clothing. Both Mary Quant, Courréges and John Bates claim to have introduced the miniskirt, with each designer’s aesthetic being unique. Courréges early training as an architect and his work for Balenciaga is seen in his strict color palettes and modern proportions.

“A woman’s body must be hard and free. Not soft and harnessed. The harness — the girdle and bra — is the chain of the slave,” Andrè Courrèges remarked to Francoise Giraud then-executive editor of the French magazine, L’Express, when in 1965 she entered the French designer’s salon to be fitted for her first Courrèges dress.

Mary Quant (1934 - )
Influential Period: 1960s
Quant is the designer most associated with the 1960s emphasis on the young known as “youth-quake”. Understanding that young women of the post - World War II era - did not want to look like their mothers, Quant introduced the miniskirt (along with André Courréges and John Bates etc.), go-go boots, flat-heeled shoes, tights and graphic prints, as well as popularising the short Vidal Sassoon bowl haircut.

Mary Quant in her trademark 1960s look.

Rudi Gernreich (1922 – 1985)
Influential Period: 1960s
Gernreich’s early training as a modern dancer and the sexual revolution of the 1960s, had a heavy influence on his design work. His clothing focused on an ease of movement and dramatic shapes, but emphasized open sexuality and freedom. Gernreich was also interested in communicating political and personal opinions on age, futurism, gender equality and idealized beauty.

1960s Tangerine color block mod mini knit dress in wool.

Giorgio de Sant’Angelo (1933 – 1989)
Influential Period: 1960s to 1970s
Sant’Angelo was introduced to fashion through Diana Vreeland (Vogue's influential fashion editor of the 1960s) after she saw his colorful jewelery. Sant’Angelo styled for Vogue in the early 1960s and opened his collection in 1966, creating distinctive looks that were influenced by the emphasis on ethnicity, exoticism and the sexual revolution, featuring “Gypsy” looks and looks inspired by Native Americans.

Bonnie Cashin (1907 – 2000)
Influential Period: 1960s to 1970s
Cashin was a free-spirited but significant designer who created clothing for women with an active lifestyle. Primary hallmarks in her collections were layering, roomy but attractive shapes for ease of movement and comfort, and coordinated accessories for a complete look. She is also known for her toggle closures and leather binding woolen fabrics.

John Crittle (1943 - 2000)
Influential Period: 1960s to 1970s
Cripple arrived in London from Australia in 1963 and by 1965 was working for Michael Rainey in his Chelsea boutique "Hung On You". The London fashion boutique, "Dandie Fashions", was opened in Autumn 1966, following a chance encounter at the Speakeasy Club between Freddie Hornik and Alan Holston, who then got together with Crittle and the Guinness heir Tara Browne and launched the new business. Dandie Fashions was initially at Kensington Mews, South Kensington, but quickly relocated to 161 King's Road, Chelsea in October 1966. Crittle and Tara Browne wanted a retail outlet for their new tailoring company Foster and Tara. In December 1966, Browne died in a car crash, while he was on his way to discuss shop front designs with the graphic artist David Vaughan. Crittle bought his share of the business. His clients included Princess Margaret, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Crittle returned to Australia in 1974.

John Crittle's stature as a designer loomed so large that for a while that by his own account he was more popular for a time than his pal John Lennon.

Ossie Clark (1942 – 1966)
Influential Period: 1960s to 1970s
Part of London’s Chelsea scene, Clark created fun, whimsical clothing using printed fabrics in ornate, colorful patterns frequently designed by his wife. He was influenced by the bias-cut flowing dresses of the 1930s and his interpretations set major trends. Clark designed for Mick Jagger and many of his female cohorts, along with several other popular rock stars of the time.

Mick Jagger’s Ossie Clark sequined jump suit.

John Bates (1938 - )
Influential Period: 1960s to 1980s
Most credit Mary Quant and André Courrèges with the invention of the miniskirt, however, the third and most forgotten designer who is also attributed with the invention of the mini skirt is John Bates of Jean Varon. Bates was an English designer, active between 1960-80, who reportedly altered his name for his label to exude a more Francophile sensibility. Bates aimed to dress the youth of the time and therefore created garments that were both well designed and low cost. Swing mini dresses with an empire silhouette became a signature of the Jean Varon label and Bates would also design a catsuit bridal ensemble and tube dresses. Today, Bates is most associated with the black leather costumes he designed for Diana Rigg in her role of Emma Peel in the British TV series The Avengers.

Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in The Avengers (ca. 1965).

Trent Nathan (1940 - )
Influential Period: 1960s to 1990s
Australian fashion pioneer Trent Nathan had his introduction to the fashion industry at an early age - when his mother set up a tailoring business called "White Collar Girl". He led Australian fashion for nearly 40 years before retiring in 1999, when his nephew took over the business. Fashion may be perceived as a superficial business, but Trent was also interested in spirituality and especially in Buddhist meditation.

A Trent Nathan dress (1998).

Carla Zampati (1942 - )
Influential Period: 1960s to 1990s
Born in Lovero, Italy, Carla settled with her family in Australia in 1950. In 1965 she produced her first small collection for Zampatti Pty Ltd, followed two years later by a national launch and in 1970, by the establishment of Carla Zampatti Limited. Carla opened her first boutique in 1972 in Surry Hills, Sydney, Australia. Over the next 3 years the Mosman, Double Bay and Elizabeth Street Sydney boutiques were opened, growing the Carla Zampatti Pty Ltd company to create a chain of 30 Carla Zampatti boutiques and concept stores across Australia. She was the first Aussie designer to introduce swimwear into her collection, a pair of fragrances and even redesigning a car! For Autumn/Winter 2013, Zampatti offered a collection that is classic, ladylike and feminine with lots of black softened by shades of cream and coral. The designer creates for the modern woman, with chic business suits and elegant eveningwear.

Carla Zampati's Autumn/Winter 2013 dress.

Merivale and Mr. John (Merivale Hemmes, 1937 - ; John Hemmes, 1931 - 2015)
Influential Period: 1960s to 1990s
In 1955 Merivale Hemmes (nee Brennan) started making model hats and in 1957 Merivale and Mr. John shop was opened in the Boulevard Arcade. In 1959 the first House of Merivale fashion store opened in Sydney. In 1970 they purchased 194 Pitt Street, Sydney. This venture saw the first foray into hospitality with a Thai tea café within the fashion building. At the height of the fashion success, there were 3 stores in Pitt Street, 2 in Melbourne and 1 in Canberra. During the 1960s Mr John and Merivale revolutionised Australian fashion, selling the first miniskirts and putting music in shops, including an unheard of band called The Beatles. In 1971 they purchased and opened Angel Hotel (Sydney) as a multi-level fashion house, which also consisted of a restaurant and espresso bar. Early in 1990s Merivale restaurant opened at Potts Point, on the corner of the now uber chic Macleay Street. As the hospitality industry grew for Merivale, the fashion Houses closed and early 1996 was closure of their last fashion store.

A 1970s Merivale jacket.

Frederick Fox (1931 - 2013)
Influential Period: 1960s to 1990s
One of nine children, Fox was born in Urana, New South Wales and began assembling and making hats from the age of nine. Fox trained under the Australian milliners Henriette Lamotte, Mrs Normoyle and Phyl Clarkson from 1949 to 1958. Fox moved to London in 1958 and studied under the milliner Otto Lucas. Fox joined Mitzi Lorenz from Otto Lucas, then went to Langée in Brook Street, Mayfair. Fox took over Langée in 1964 and later moved his atelier to Bond Street. By the late 1960s Fox had joined the Queen’s dressmaker Hardy Amies. Fox's first hats for the Queen were designed in 1968 for her tour of Argentina and Chile. In 1974 Fox was the recipient of a royal warrant as "Milliner to HM The Queen". Fox made 350 hats for the Queen over 35 years and also made hats for many members of the royal family, including Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, Diana, Princess of Wales, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, Princess Alexandra of Kent, Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Anne. His other notable clients included Hillary Clinton and Joan Collins.

Frederick Fox holding one of the hats he designed for the Queen.

Valentino (1932 - )
Influential Period: 1960s to early 2000s
For many women, Valentino refined elegance in the latter half of the twentieth century. Actresses and socialites wore his dramatic growns to award shows or charity balls, often in his signature color of red.

Christopher Essex (1945 - 2013)
Influential Period: 1960s to early 2000s
Christopher Essex was an Australian designer whose client list included Tina Turner, Phyllis Diller and Dionne Warwick. Essex was born in England but grew up in Australia. He began his career by designing displays at Mark Foy's, Sydney's leading department store at that time. In the 1960s he opened his first salon - "Camille" - in Hong Kong. Camille's customers included Nancy Kwan and Bruce Lee. An initial bout with cancer prompted Essex to return to Australia. His successful recovery prompted him to re-establish his career, designing costumes for stage productions such as Get Happy, Private Lives, Hot Shoe Shuffle and Little Shop of Horrors and the film Strictly Ballroom. Essex succumbed to a second bout of cancer at age 61.

Christopher Essex's Eveningwear.

Sonia Rykiel (1930 - )
Influential Period: 1960s to present
The “queen of knits” - almost exclusively designs in knits - provided comfortable but sexy pieces for women during the 1960s and 1970s. Popularizing the shrunken poor-boy top and knit pants, Rykiel has become a stylish French icon of comfort and practicality.

Vintage 1970s Sonia Rykiel’s knit - poor boy sweater.

Karl Lagerfeld (1933 - )
Influential Period: 1960s to present
A prolific and intuitive designer, Karl Lagerfeld’s influence is all pervasive throughout the fashion industry. Largerfeld’s genius comes from a true postmodernist sense of combinations and possibilities of style. He is best known for his association with the House of Chanel, updating and invigorating the label by combining trademark signatures of the house with street fashion and a youthful perspective.

Brazilian model Alexia Bellini exits the Mara Hoffman show in a jacket by Karl Lagerfeld - top by Aritiza, and bag by Givenchy on Day 3 of New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015.

Halston (1932 – 1990)
Influential Period: 1970s
A major influence on American sportsware in the 1970s, Halston’s clothing (Roy Halston Frowick known as Halston) relied on simple, flattering construction that looked great on multiple body types. His pieces were generally monochromatic and made out of luxury fabrics with long and lean silhouette. Halston used his associations with a wide variety of celebrities, as well as his visits to Studio 54, to cement his iconic, celebrity status.

Halston and best friend Liza. He designed the costumes for all her live performances and the yellow gown she wore when she won the Oscar for "Cabaret”.

Stephen Burrows (1943 - )
Influential Period: 1970s
Burrows is best known for his geographically colored and soft, clingy shapes made predominantly in silk chiffon and matte jersey. His dresses are often asymmetrical and feature a “lettuce edge” finishing detail at the hem.

Stephen Burrows' clothes at the MET.

Peter Tully (1947 - 1992)
Influential Period: 1970s to 1980s
In 1973 Tully met the artist and activist David McDiarmid, becoming lovers for the following two years, and remaining friends and collaborators until Tully’s death in 1992. Tully and McDiarmid moved to Sydney in 1975, joining their Melbourne friend and creative collaborators Linda Jackson, who had moved there with her partner Fran Moore in 1973. This period also saw McDiarmid, Tully and Jackson collaborating with Melbourne fashion designer and retailer Clarence Chai and Sydney-based fashion designer and retailer Jenny Kee. After their move to Sydney with Tully and McDiarmid were soon involved with Kee’s fashion store Flamingo Park in Strand Arcade, hand-painting fabrics for Jackson’s dresses. His experience of traditional tribal cultures through many years of travel in New Guinea, Africa and India - along with the vibrant and creative urban sub-cultural "tribes" he saw in New York - stimulated the development of his "urban tribal wear". In 1977 Tully held his second one-man exhibition, exhibiting his Australiana-themed jewelery at Paraphethana Gallery. He was an artistic director of the Sydney Mardi Gras for five years (1982-1986).

Ear Ornament - Treasures of the Last Future: Peter Tully, 1991.

Bill Blass (1922 – 2002)
Influential Period: 1970s to 1980s
A classic American designer, Bill Blass helped to define the American look of sleek sophistication and elegant grace. Blass developed several different clothing lines and licencing agreements to meet the needs of a variety of women in any aspects of their lives.

Bill Blass dresses – party/formal wear.

Emanuel Ungaro (1933 - )
Influential Period: 1970s to 1980s
Ungaro is best known for his treatment of prints, combining patterns and colors in an unexpected way. His clothing was always feminine and elegant, but also playful with its array of colors, textures and prints.

Emanuel Ungaro Spring 2012 printed dress.

Kenzo Takada (1939 - )
Influential Period: 1970s to 1980s
One of the first Japanese designers to emigrate to Paris, Kenzo was an early example of a fresh perspective in the 1970s French fashion. He is known for his playful silhouettes and original combinations of patterns, prints and bold colors.

Kenzo’s 2008 Spring/Summer collection.

Geoffrey Beene (1924 – 2004)
Influential Period: 1970s to 1980s
Beene was an innovator and rebel within the American fashion industry. As a former medical student, Beene always focused on the three-dimensional qualities of form and how shape rotates around the female body. Beene’s work is often characterized by his use of non traditional fabrics that create geometric forms, the triangle as a motif and positive/negative shape to reveal areas of the body.

Perry Ellis (1940 – 1986)
Influential Period: 1970s to 1980s
Starting out as a merchandizer allowed Ellis to closely observed the all-important marketing and retail components of the fashion industry. Women were expanding their role in the workforce and Perry Ellis was an essential designer in the development of American classics, providing mix-and-match clothing that met their needs.

In early 1994, Vogue Patterns released two patterns for designs from Marc Jacobs’ grunge collection for Perry Ellis. Vogue 1335 is a pattern for bell bottoms and a jacket and cropped vest with butterfly appliqués.

Missoni (Ottavio Missoni, 1921 – 2013; Rosita Missoni, 1932 -2013)
Influential Period: 1970s to 1980s
Missoni was founded by Ottavio and Rosita Missoni in 1953. The unique patterns and colors of Missoni knits are unmistakeable, affording the company easy recognition and popularity. The wearable and colorful collections tapped into what women were looking for: clothes that were distinctive but functional in women’s professional lives.

Missoni knit wear (2011).

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac (1949 - )
Influential Period: 1970s to 1980s
Castelbajac became popular in the 1970s when he started to use ordinary or common materials such as sleeping bags, blankets or teddy bears to create unique designs. His style was irreverently humorous, becoming more art-to-wear than ready-to-wear.

Jean Charles de Castelbajac, Autumn/Winter 2011-12.

James Galanos (1924 - )
Influential Period: 1970s to 1980s
Galanos was an American couturier in craftsmanship, detail and price. Creating gowns for rarified few, he became more widely known when Nancy Reagan chose his gown for presidential functions in the 1980s.

Nancy Reagon wearing a James Galanos gown.
“Great designers can dictate a new style, but its success depends on the individuals who have the aura that encourages the masses to emulate them.” American designer James Galanos.

Issey Miyake (1938 - )
Influential Period: 1970s to 1980s
Miyake has combined art and fashion in clothes that are effortlessly wearable and attractive. Miyake’s work combines his interest in sculptural form with Eastern and Western aesthetics and innovative experiments with fabric. Miyake is best known for his work with architectural pleating systems under the Pleats Please and APOC (A Piece of Cloth) lines.

Issey Miyake’s APOC 2.

Jenny Bannister (1942 - )
Influential Period: 1970s to 1980s
In 1976 Bannister launched her own label, Jenny Bannister Fashion in Melbourne (Australia). The Bannister label began at the height of the 1970s radical fashion movement and later evolved into couture and up-market boutique styles. Jenny Bannister's clothes were worn by the fashion rebels of the 1970s and 1980s, including Kylie Minogue and Naomi Campbell. In 1988 Bannister successfully shifted into contemporary eveningwear, to which she now has a loyal celebrity following. Her designs were featured prominently in the Melbourne Fashion Festival and her pieces have also recently been auctioned at Christie's in London. Due to her creative and distinctive approach to design, many significant pieces of Bannister's work have been collected by major art galleries and museums. Currently, the National Gallery of Victoria is collecting Bannister's work from the 1970s and 1980s for their archives, with an exhibition to follow. She closed her store in 2009.

Adele Palmer (1942 - )
Influential Period: 1970s to 1990s
Palmer apprenticed in the fashion industry, studied at the McCabe Academy and in 1969 opened a boutique, Artemus, South Yarra, Victoria (Australia) under her own label. With her partner Rob Palmer, she sold nationally. Moving into denim, she was a principal of the label Jag Jeans and clothing. Following the jeans boom of the 1970s, JAG quickly secured a star studded following including style icons Steve McQueen, Jackie Onassis, Bianca & Mick Jagger. JAG soon became synonymous with designer denim around the world. She retired after 1993.

Calvin Klein (1942 - )
Influential Period: 1970s to 1990s
An astute businessman and marketer, Klein propelled the New York fashion industry forward by considering advertising and multiple markets in a whole unique manner. Klein used controversial advertising, featuring varying degrees of nudity and raw sexuality. His clothing was rich with traditional American classics, elevated by glamorous and mysterious marketing campaigns.

Calvin Klein’s undergarment campaigns.

Linda Jackson (1950 - )
Influential Period: 1970s to 1990s
Linda Jackson is an Australian fashion designer, retailer and artist. She was born in Melbourne, Australia. She studied fashion, design and photography in Melbourne, then traveled in the 1960s in Asia and Europe. She met designer Jenny Kee in 1972, with whom she established Flamingo Park, a boutique in The Strand Arcade, Sydney in 1973. She created the Bush Couture and Bush Kids labels. This period also saw Jackson collaborate with artists such as David McDiarmid and Peter Tully, who hand-painted fabrics for Jackson's dresses and provided jewelery to complement her outfits. She has traveled throughout outback Australia, living and working with Aboriginal communities. Her fashion is a courages kaleidoscope of fractured opal color and fluro gum leaves jettison against black - an ode to Australian bush couture.

Linda Jackson Bush Couture - Wild Flowers - cotton & silk (1976).

Jenny Kee (1947 - )
Influential Period: 1970s to 1990s
Jenny Kee is an Australian fashion designer. She was born in Bondi to a Chinese father and a mother of Italian/Anglo Saxon descent. In 1972 she returned to Australia from England and in 1973 opened a fashion boutique, Flamingo Park and started collaborating with fashion and textile designer Linda Jackson to create a national fashion identity. They formed a partnership creating outfits including bright and colorful pure Australian wool knitted jumpers with fauna and flora emblems. Among them was a knitted koala jumper that was owned by the then Lady Diana Spencer. The waratah featured strongly in her work. This period also saw Kee and Jackson collaborate with artists such as David McDiarmid and Peter Tully, who hand-painted fabrics for Jackson's dresses and provided jewelery to complement her outfits. Located in the Strand Arcade in Sydney's central business district, it closed in 1995. See post on - The Art of Jenny Kee.

The Coogi Jumper - Jenny Kee 1980s

Bruce Oldfield (1950 - )
Influential Period: 1970s to 2000s
Bruce Oldfield, OBE, is a British fashion designer best known for his couture occasional wear. He dresses Hollywood actresses, British and International royalty and European aristocracy; famous clients have included Sienna Miller, Barbra Streisand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Diana Ross, Emmanuelle Seigner, Rihanna, Kelly Brook, Taylor Swift, Elizabeth McGovern, Rosamund Pike, Anjelica Huston, Faye Dunaway, Jacqueline Jossa, Melanie Griffith, Charlotte Rampling, Jerry Hall, Joan Collins, Queen Noor of Jordan and Queen Rania of Jordan and Diana, Princess of Wales. In 1975 the Bruce Oldfield label was born with the launch of ready-to-wear collections for European and American stores. He began making couture clothes in 1978 for individual clients and from 1980 for Diana, Princess of Wales. In 1984 he opened his first shop selling ready-to-wear and couture to an international clientele. During the 1980s, he also designed shoes for couture House Rayne. In 2009 he opened a second premises in Beauchamp Place dedicated to weddings, incorporating wedding dresses, veils and a full range of bridal accessories.

Bruce Oldfield lace wedding dress.

Madam Lash (aka Gretel Pinniger, 1945 - )
Influential Period: 1970s to 2000s
For close to 45 years, Gretel Pinniger, or Madame Lash as she is known to clients, has in equal measure thrilled and shocked Australian society. Over her long career, she's made her name as an artist, fashion designer and - most notably - as a dominatrix. After an academically listless year in Melbourne in 1970, Pinniger abandoned university studies and returned to Sydney to study fashion design. Attaching herself to the burgeoning avant-garde scene at the National Art School, she settled into a sympathetic intellectual niche while supporting herself, initially, with hostessing work and later as a stripper. Her fashion sense amplifiers her ultra ego - Madam Lash.

Madame Lash underwear garment, Sydney, New South Wales, 1981.

Katie Pye (1952 – )
Influential Period: 1970s to present
Pye studied painting at the East Sydney Technical College in the early 1970s. She was interested in the possibilities for performance in fashion and was influenced by the growing feminist art practices of this period that turned their focus to the body. Pye held her first fashion parade for her own collection in the late 1970s. Her label achieved great critical acclaim and at various stages in the years to follow, it skirted commercial success. She was perhaps most commercially successful in the mid-to-late 1980s, with her designs stocked nationally in high-end boutiques and department stores. Pye’s designs of the 1980s and 1990s were strongly influenced by the wave of Japanese avant-garde fashion at this time. In more recent years her work has focused on handicraft traditions, such as hand-embroidery and block printing, influenced by numerous travels to India and work with the country’s local artisans. 2004 saw the re-launch of the Katie Pye label, as well as the opening of the Katie Pye Clothing Gallery in Brisbane, which showcased this hand-crafted aesthetic. The Paddington boutique closed its doors in 2009, ending a chapter in Katie Pye’s impressive career as an independent retailer.

Joseph Saba (1940 - )
Influential Period: 1970s to present
Joe Saba is an Australian fashion designer and fashion business owner. Saba started his fashion business in 1965 with the opening a store in 287 Flinders Lane Melbourne called the Joseph Saba Shirt and Sweater Shop. The Saba store was opened later in Collins Street, Melbourne. In 1969 he established a label for Jeans called "Staggers". The Saba label established in 1974 also was used on men's and women's clothing. Up to 17 stores had the Saba title. In the 1980s he sold designs of Japanese designers such as Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto in Australia. In 1996 he won the Australian Fashion Menswear Award. In 2002 he sold his fashion business to Daniel and Danielle Besen. The Saba label is now owned by The Apparel Group. Some of his garments are on display in the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.

Saba womenswear fashion aesthetic.

Oscar de la Renta (1932 – 2014)
Influential Period: 1970s to present
Oscar de la Renta is known for his romantic, often ruffled eveningwear, which is sometimes inspired by his upbringing in the Dominican Republic and his studies in Spain and Paris. He was the first American to have the distinct honor of showing his collections in Paris.

Oscar de la Renta's "Resort 2013 Collection".

Giorgio Armani (1934 - )
Influential Period: 1970s to present
Armani started out as a men’s wear designer in 1974 and opened up his woman’s wear collection the next year. Always known for his soft tailoring, an Armani suit in the 1980s became ubiquitous with power dressing. The suit remained central to his business, along with associations with Hollywood movie stars, both male and female, on the red carpet.

Vivienne Westwood (1941 - )
Influential Period: 1970s to present
Throughout Westwood’s lengthy career she has been inspired by pop culture, historicism and strong independently woman she designs for. She began her career in the 1970s with a store and then opened her own label. Employing themes such as romantic pirates, eighteenth and nineteenth-century aristocrats and eco-warriors, she never abandoned her focus on confident, sexy women.

A young, self-sufficient tribe of eco-warriors dress for the future, camouflaged in recycled waste and plant life in Vivienne Westwood’s July 2008 takeover issue of Dazed.

Neville Quist
Influential Period: 1970s to present
Neville Quist founded clothing label Saville Row in 1973 in Adelaide, South Australia. In 1989 Quist developed the first animated patterned men's socks. The label attached to these products was Johnny Dangerous and was sold throughout 13 European countries. Pacific Dunlop entered into a licensing agreement with Quist, as did Bonds Underwear. Quist was nominated 5 times as "Australia's Leading Menswear Fashion Designer" at the Australian Fashion Awards (between 1991 – 1996). Quist collaborated with Elders in 2001 and became their international design consultant and developed Quist superfine knitwear which specialises in Australian merino wool knitwear. Saville Row is stocked Australia-wide and internationally.

Quist's knitwear.

Linda Britten
Influential Period: 1970s to present
Linda Britten is an Australian-born fashion designer based in Melbourne. She has been a name in Australian fashion since the 1970s and has developed several labels, trading under the brand "Linda Britten" and others. Britten is particularly renowned for her elegant and sophisticated couture eveningwear and wedding gowns. Linda continues to create elegant couture evening and bridal wear, coinciding with her LBD (Little Black Dress) collections. Linda has revived her original label, Anna Seed, with her sons Alex and Tim (fashion designers themselves) collaborating to bring a fresh angle to the brand.

Ray Brown (1959 - )
Influential Period: Late 1970s to present
Ray Brown is an Australian tailor and a "rock" clothing designer. He has worked in the fashion industry in Melbourne, London and Los Angeles. He is a master craftsman in rock musician’s stage clothing and helped to define "rock fashion" with his indestructible garments. Ray Brown did not invent the metal stud, but the way in which he chose to use it is unique. Brown's clients included such personalities as Ozzy Osbourne, the band Judas Priest, Cher, The Pointer Sisters, Barry Manilow and Brian Setzer. He also created off-stage wear for a number of his clients, including wedding outfits for Jon Bon Jovi, Vince Neil, Tommy Lee and John Mellencamp. Brown is one of only 20 Australian designers recognized on the Official Australian Culture Web Portal. His work was feature in the Smithsonian Institute NYC, at the Birmingham Museum of Art as well as being featured in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.

﻿Stephen Sprouse (1953 – 2004)
Influential Period: 1980s
A major figure in New York City downtown scene, Sprouse often used elements of pop culture such as 1960s, 1970s and 1980s music culture, graffiti and the artwork of Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Basquiat. He is well known for his use of neon colors with black, along with his unique handwriting used for prints.

Franco Moschino (1950 - 1994)
Influential Period: 1980s to early 1990s
Franco Moschino was an Italian fashion designer remembered for his witty, colorful, lively and provocative designs which not only challenged, but poked fun at the fashion establishment. He founded his own company, Moonshadow, in 1983 and launched the "Moschino Couture!" label that same year. At first, he designed casualwear and jeans, but his line eventually expanded to lingerie, eveningwear, shoes, menswear and perfumes. In 1988, he launched a less expensive Cheap and Chic line. His designs were very innovative and unusual such as quilted black denim miniskirt with plastic fried eggs decorating the hemline, quilted jacket decorated with bottle tops, plug-socket drop earrings and bodices made out of safety pins.

Moschino never concealed his passion for surrealism.

Claude Montana (1947 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to early 1990s
Montana was an integral designer of the 1980s and early 1990s, creating highly architectural pieces with large shoulders, heavy metal studs and embellishments and short tight skirts. Montana’s woman was strong, powerful and intimidating, an image which many women were looking for as they forged new pathways into upper-level professional jobs.

Claude Montana 1980s black knit top with cut out back.

Azzedine Alaïa (1940 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to 1990s
Alaïa has created a sexy, body-conscious style that is easily recognized and synonymous with female strength. He helped to define the look of the 1980s by relying on toned, muscular female celebrities such as Tina Turner, Raquel Welch and Grace Jones to best express his constructed knit dresses.

Tina Turner in Azzedine Alaïa’s red leather dress (1987).

Gianni Versace (1946 – 1997)
Influential Period: 1980s to early 1990s
Versace was known for his bright, flashy clothing that exuded a rock ‘n roll attitude while using beautiful silks, leathers and knits. He used Greek, Roman and art-deco motifs in brightly colored prints, alongside the fashion house’s emblem, the head of Medusa. Versace was also well known for his close associations with celebrities, including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley. See post on Versace Retrospective - 1982 to 1997.

Elizabeth Hurley wears a punk-inspired Gianni Versace dress with safety pins to a film premiere (1994).

Romeo Gigli (1949 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to early 1990s
Romeo Gigli eschewed the trapping of current glamorous fashion to create his own ideal and focused vision. Gigli routinely relied on rich jewel-tone colors and sensual fabrics that harkened back to the Renaissance and Byzantine eras, while being pre-eminently modern in his own romantic silhouettes and iconic cocoon coats.

Studibaker Hawk (1982 - 1990)
Influential Period: 1980s to early 1990s
Studibaker Hawk was formed in 1982 when fashion student Janette Smith and artist Wendy Arnold began producing what they described as street couture, selling it through a stall at the Paddington Markets in Sydney (Australia). Experimenting with new print and fashion ideas, the pair pioneered an original version of mid-1980s high glamour for the Australian market. Encouraged by local boutique owners, interstate buyers and the fashion jet set who often purchased entire racks of their clothing, the first Studibaker Hawk studio was established the following year. Joined by ex-architect David Miles, the three designers lived and worked in an old knitting factory in Rozelle (Sydney) – complete with a namesake blue Studebaker parked out the front – defining and producing the recognisable look for which the label had become known. Studibaker’s signature style and reputation was consolidated throughout the 1980s with collections of partywear and eveningwear. Evening dresses were characterized by an emphasis on silhouette, line and volume, but the most important feature was their original hand-printed fabric designs. In 1990 the company ceased operating.

Dress, women's, screen printed polyester / polyester satin / metal, designed and made by Janelle Smith, David Miles and Wendy Arnold for their label Studibaker Hawk, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (1984 - 1990).

Ruta Anna "Ruth" Tarvydas (1947 - 2014)
Influential Period: 1980s to 2014
Ruta Anna "Ruth" Tarvydas was an Australian fashion designer. Born in Germany to Lithuanian parents, her family emigrated to Perth, Western Australia, when Tarvydas was two years old. She opened her first boutique at the age of 19, with her brother and shortly after established her first label. In 1983 Taryvdas became the first Australian designer to export clothing overseas. By the 2000s she had designs being sold in 170 outlets across 16 countries, with a number of celebrity clients, both in Australia and overseas. A flagship store in King Street, Perth, was opened in 2009, but closed three years later with Tarvydas in heavy debt. A new store was opened in Claremont in 2012 and was featured with Tarvydas in a 2013 television documentary. Tarvydas was to debut at Paris Fashion Week in 2014, but died two months before the event.

Rebecca Judd models Tarvydas famous "Red Dress".

Adolfo (1950 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to present
Adolfo Domínguez was born Adolfo Domínguez Fernández. He is a Spanish fashion designer. He took over his father's fashion boutique in Ourense in the early 1970s. He spent the following years developing his own designs and finally made the big jump with a presentation of his work in Madrid in 1981. He also became the first Spanish designer to open his own brand-name store in Madrid, which soon mushroomed into a chain with outlets across Spain and abroad. The company went public in 1997. Adolfo Dominguez clothing is inspired by urban necessities, making use of loose and natural fabrics. One of his key marketing strategies has been to avoid distribution through multi-brand shops and target the ultimate consumer directly, reducing delivery time and cost to the buyers. He was among the first to inject a new, fresh approach in Spanish luxury fashion, spearheading the rise of a generation of new designers. Currently his perfumes belong to Puig company.

Tommy Hilfiger (1951 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to present
Hilfiger was born in Elmira, New York. The second of nine children of a jeweller and a nurse, he is of German-Swiss and Irish descent and was raised a Catholic. Hilfiger also claims direct descent from the Scottish poet Robert Burns. After leaving school, he opened his own store named Peoples Palace, which went bankrupt in 1976. He then turned to designing clothing by designing for the rest of his stores in upstate New York. Hilfiger moved to New York City with his wife Susie. Although he was offered design assistant positions with designers Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis, he turned down the offers despite the fact that he was broke. In 1985 he founded the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation, with support from The Murjani Group, which went public in 1992, introducing his signature menswear collection. By 2004 the company had 5,400 employees and revenues in excess of $1.8 billion. Hilfiger was named "Menswear Designer of the Year" by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1995.

Tommy Hilfiger Spring/Summer 2015 collection (New York Fashion Week).

Desert Designs (1980 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to present
The history of Desert Designs is one of the most interesting in Australian fashion. During the 1980s Jimmy Pike was serving a sentence at Freemantle Prison (Western Australia). He took art classes and impressed his teachers - Stephen Culley and David Wroth - so much that they started a business in order to promote his work. His work, primarily in vivid felt-tip pen, represents his origins as a desert and Aboriginal man and evokes the beliefs of the Aboriginal people. During the process of transforming one of Pike’s lino-block works into a set of limited-edition prints, Culley and Wroth discovered that Pike’s art looked spectacular on textiles. “I printed some fabric and my wife used it to sew a set of dungarees for my daughter, who was one year old at the time. They were wonderful.” One pair of dungarees turned into a small fashion collection, sold to a few high-end Perth boutiques. The collection garnered local, then national press and Culley quickly found himself in Sydney setting up a licensing deal with fashion manufacturers Byers Co under the name Desert Designs. In 2013 Stephen Culley re-launched Desert Designs and recruited his daughter, Jedda Daisy-Culley and her designer friend, Carolin Sundt-Wels, to lead the brand into the future.

The brilliant colors of Jimmy Pike’s Texta drawings are captured in the latest Desert Designs offerings.

Jennifer Bannister (1954 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to present
Bannister studied Fashion Design and Production at RMIT's Emily McPherson College (Melbourne, Australia) and commenced her career in 1975 as a recycled denim designer. In 1976 Bannister launched her own label, Jenny Bannister Fashion, in Melbourne. The Bannister label began at the height of the 1970s radical fashion movement and later evolved into couture and up-market boutique styles. In 1988 Bannister successfully shifted into contemporary evening wear, to which she now has a loyal celebrity following. Her designs are featured prominently in the Melbourne Fashion Festival and her pieces have also recently been auctioned at Christie's in London. Due to her creative and distinctive approach to design, many significant pieces of Bannister's work have been collected by major art galleries and museums. Currently, the National Gallery of Victoria is collecting Bannister's work from the 1970s and 1980s for their archives, with an exhibition to follow.

Peter Alexander (1965 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to present
Peter Alexander was born in Melbourne (Australia). He began his career in marketing at Sportsgirl in 1981. Through female friends, who had expressed dismay at being unable to find pajamas that were not of the flannelette or lace varieties, he identified a gap in the Australian market for comfortable yet stylish women's nightwear. He left Sportsgirl in 1985 and at age 24 established the Peter Alexander Sleepwear label with support from his parents. By 1995, he was exporting to New Zealand, the United Kingdom and United States through his mail order service. In 1999, he also began exporting the brand globally through e-commerce. In 2000 the Peter Alexander Sleepwear label became part of the Just Jeans group of companies - with Alexander continuing as manager. In 2008, he opened his flagship store in the United States on the Robertson Boulevard shopping district in Los Angeles and later expanded to two more. However, the US stores were closed in 2009 due to the late-2000s financial crisis.

Peter Alexander fashion.

Ralph Lauren (1939 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to present
Ralph Lauren is considered by many to be a marketing genius because he has developed a well-honed brand identity that focuses on traditional icons of aspirations. Lauren came into prominence in the 1980s allowing people to adopt the “Ivy League look”. He continued to use American signatures and inspirations derived from native-American culture, the Wild West and early Hollywood - all with great commercial success.

Polo, Ralph Lauren (Fall 2014).

Leona Edmiston (1952 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to present
Leona Edmonton is an Australian fashion designer based in Sydney. She studied fashion design at East Sydney Technical College and began her first label, called "Morrissey Edmonton", with fellow Australian designer Peter Morrissey in 1983. The label was popular for over 14 years. In 1996 the label split and in 2001 Edmonton started her solo label, Leona Edmonton, with her husband Jeremy Ducker. Edmiston has shown at Mercedes Australian Fashion Week in 2004, 2005, and 2006; while in 2008 and 2009 she conducted private showings off the Fashion Week schedule. Leona Edmonton has stores in Australia (including Myer), US and the UK as well as online.

Leona Edmiston's ruby musette dress.

Jean-Paul Gaultier (1952 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to present
Gaultier’s enduring contribution to fashion is his examination of gender roles and the use of different cultural and religious groups as forms of inspiration. Gaultier helped to make women feel strong and powerful yet sexy, while also creating men’s wear that exemplifies a more feminine sense of beauty and sensuality.

Jean-Paul Gaultier menswear (Autumn/Winter 2011-2012).

Rei Kawakubo (1942 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to present
Designing under the label Comme des Garcons, Kawakubo is the “philosopher of fashion” and one of the chief advocates of the deconstruction aesthetics introduced in the late 1970s. She creates clothing with a deeper commentary on image, the body and sex appeal and consistently challenges silhouette, fabric and presentation.

Yohji Yamamoto (1943 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to present
Yamamoto often uses black fabric that does not conform to a body shape, symmetry or fashion trends. Preferring to express alternatives to traditional notions of sex appeal, Yamamoto strives to create beauty and spirituality through a dramatic silhouette. He is well known for his collaboration with Adida under Y3 label.

Donna Karan (1948 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to present
Karan created a significant shift in the way working women of the 1980s thought about dressing. An executive herself, Karan created a professional wardrobe that focused on essentials and allowed for full movement and comfort, while not being restricted to masculine suits that were currently being offered. She is also a proponent of organically draped, sensual dresses that contrast with her more tailored sports wear.

Donna Karan’s draped Jersey evening gown.

Martine Sitbon (1952 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to present
Sitbon came into prominence in the 1980s with her work for Chloé, under her own label in the 1990s and in the millennium with Byblos. She combines soft structure based on men’s wear elements with a sensitive color palette and music-culture inspirations.

A model wears a creation by French fashion designer Martine Sitbon for her Spring/Summer (2012) ready-to-wear collection in Paris.

Peter Morrissey (1968 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to present
Peter Morrissey has been active in the Australian fashion industry since the 1980s. Until 1996, Morrissey worked with fellow designer Leona Edmiston. After their split, Morrissey formed his eponymous fashion label and enjoyed renewed success. Peter re-acquired the MORRISSEY label in 2011 and maintained collections in the categories of home wares, eyewear, corporate gifts, leather goods and luggage. Early in 2013 Peter Morrissey launched the "Home by Peter Morrissey" home wares range available exclusively in a large retail department stores throughout Australia. This followed the success of the Peter Morrissey apparel range in the same store. Qantas had engaged Peter Morrissey to design its uniforms in 2003 and also to act as a mentor for their "Spirit of Youth Awards" which ceased in 2009.

Peter Morrissey introduced his new Qantas uniform in 2003.

Christian Lacroix (1951 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to present
Lacroix he has been a symbol of couture extravagance throughout his career. First introduced as a designer for the House of Patou, Lacroix gained popularity for his ionic pouf skirt dress that was a favorite during the extravagant 1980s. Lacroix continues to fascinate with bright color palettes and ornate fabrics, often executed in a highly decorative manner.

Christian Lacroix's pouf skirt dress.

Marc Jacobs (1963 - )
Influential Period: 1980s to present
Marc Jacobs is arguably the most well-known and influential American designer today. Jacobs created great notoriety in his early career as the creator of the infamous Grunge collection for Perry Ellis, inspired by the Seattle-based post-punk music scene of the 1990s. He has since become increasingly popular as the designer of his eponymous lines as well as being the design director for Louis Vuitton in Paris.

Marc Jacobs first Grunge collection.

Prada (1913 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to present
The company was started in 1913 by Mario Prada and his brother Martino as a leathergoods shop – Fratelli Prada (English: Prada Brothers) – in Milan, Italy. Muccia Prada successfully shifted the focus of the company, founded by her grandfather, to a leading name in the world of fashion. Creating fashion that often pushes the notion of what is ugly and elegant, Prada consistently aims to create clothing that women cannot be defined by. She has stated she purposely uses fabric or concepts that she hates for the challenges it creates.

Prada Fall/Winter 2014-2015 Collection – Milan Fashion Week.

Gucci (1921 - )/Tom Ford (1961 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to early 2000s
Gucci is an Italian fashion and leather goods brand, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by the French company Kering, formerly known as PPR. Gucci was founded by Gucci Gucci in Florence in 1921. Gucci was quietly producing fashion until Tom Ford joined the company in the 1990s. By 1995, Gucci and Tom Ford were receiving premier press amplified by a steady celebrity and socialite following. Tom Ford combined assertive silhouettes reminiscent of the 1970s with a contemporary, sexy twist.

Jill Sander (1943 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to early 2000s
Oil Sander was a leader of the minimalist movement which begun in 1990s. She preferred to work largely in monochromatic color palettes with as little seaming and details as possible. Popularising the unlined, soft shoulder jacket, she fitted in perfectly with the 1990s - a time when women were interested in quiet materialism after the flamboyant 1980s.

Jill Sander’s voluminous drop-shoulder jacket.

Helmut Lang (1956 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to early 2000s
A leader of the minimalist movement in the 1990s, Lang’s work was reliant on a graphic and monochromatic color palette along with high-tech fabrics. Lang often used bold geometric shapes, stiff silhouettes, utilitarian details and sheer fabrics to create graphic and military quality for both his men’s and women’s androgynous clothing.

Helmut Lang (Spring 2014).

Alexander McQueen (1969 – 2010)
Influential Period: 1990s to 2010s
McQueen was always controversial and was consistently watch by anyone associated with fashion. He combined a rebellious view of fashion and beauty with incredible tailoring skills that he picked up from his apprenticeship on Savile Row in London. McQueen couples these with the eye of a showman and fashion historian, creating runaway performance pieces that shifted the future of fashion.

The fashion of Alexander McQueen.

Collette Dinnigan (1965 -)
Influential Period: 1990s to 2013
Collette Dinnigan is an Australian based fashion designer. Born in South Africa, Dinnigan moved to New Zealand, then Australia, where she obtained work with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She opened her own range in 1990, with the launch of a dry-clean only lingerie collection and was the first Australian to launch a ready-to-wear collection in Paris in 1995. Dinnigan’s Autumn/Winter 2013 ready-to-wear collection is highlighted by slim sheath silhouettes in neutrals of black, white and silver with accents of leather or lace – many of which would make breathtaking bridal gowns – and for something for classic bridal, she also designs a stunning bridal collection. She quit the fashion industry in 2013 but returned in 2015 to create children wear for a major clothing retailer (Target).

Autumn/Winter 2013 ready-to-wear.

Akira Isogawa (1964 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to present
Akira Isogawa is one of Australia’s most celebrated and successful fashion designers. Born in Kyoto in 1964, he moved to Australia at the age of 21 to study fashion at the Sydney Institute of Technology and opened his first boutique in Sydney’s Woollahra, in 1993. He has been a regular fixture at Australian Fashion Week since 1996 and began showing his collections to international buyers in Paris two years later. Isogawa’s aesthetic draws heavily on traditional Japanese designs and techniques. He works almost exclusively in natural fabrics to create diaphanous, layered, intricately embellished ensembles that are instantly recognisable and highly coveted. He devotes a great deal of his practice to textile design, using techniques such as shibori (a resist-dyeing process whereby fabric is bound, folded or twisted to create a pattern), origami (folding), embroidery, printing and hand painting. Isogawa has two boutiques in Sydney and one apiece in Melbourne and Brisbane.

Akira's ready-to-wear (Spring/Summer 2015).

Sophia Tolli
Influential Period: 1990s to present
Sophia Tolli was born Sophia Apostolides in Australia. Tolli’s beginnings in the fashion industry stemmed from her aunt, a gifted dressmaker. Tolli selected the fabrics for the clothes that her aunt would create, giving her an opportunity to develop a keen eye for styles, colors and more. A seamstress since her early teens, Tolli began making custom prom, bridesmaids and bridal gowns from a young age. She continued her studies in design during her college days. After 10 years as head designer at Maggie Sottero, Tolli collaborated with Mon Cheri to design her own line in 2006. Her designs include strapless ball gowns, A-line dresses, halters and slim skirts. Her gowns are known for the impeccable fit, as well as draped and corset backs. Tolli enjoys naming her gowns after pop culture trends at the time; two of her most recent collections are named after characters from The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones. Tolls later launched a "Special Occasion" collection of cocktail dresses with Mon Cheri for bridesmaids, young mothers, homecomings and proms. Tolli’s designs have been featured on the cover of Wedding Ideas Magazine. In 2010, Sophia Tolli gown won - "Wedding Dress of the Year" - at the Harrogate Bridal Buyer Awards.

Sophia Tolli's Wedding Dress (2015).

Alex Perry
Influential Period: 1990s to present
After graduating from East Sydney Technical College (Australia) in 1984, Alex Perry worked as a model agent representing Australian models for international modelling agencies, such as June Dally-Watkins. In 1992 Perry opened his first atelier in suburban Kensington creating gowns, corsets and sheaths. Vogue Australia photographed these gowns that became the Alex Perry trademark signature in his first editorial shoot. Perry relocated his salon in 1994 to Double Bay, Sydney, where he built up his clientele to include high profile celebrities, social identities and personalities. Alex Perry was a designer at the inaugural Mercedes Australian Fashion Week held in May 1995 and has shown collections each year. Perry’s runway shows have featured models such as Linda Evangelista, Megan Gale, Miranda Kerr, Kate Fischer, Alyssa Sutherland, Nicole Trunfio and Lily Cole. Perry launched his first "ready-to-wear" collection in 1998. Alex Perry Couture signatures of the ready-to-wear collection are boned corsetry, hand ruching and sexy, feminine silhouettes. In May 2002, Perry launched his Sydney salon at The Strand Arcade. Alex Perry's debut accessories collection was launched in 2006 and features stilettos, jeweled clutch handbags and bijoux earrings for evening and bridal. International models Elle Macpherson, Linda Evangelista and Claudia Schiffer have donned his designer ball gowns and red carpet evening wear. Jennifer Lopez and Nelly Furtado both chose to perform on stage and walked the red carpet in Alex Perry gowns.

Alex Perry ready-to-wear (Spring/Summer 2015/2016).

J'Aton Couture (1995 - )
Influential Period: Middle 1990s to present
Established by Jacob Luppino and Anthony Pittorino in Ascot Vale and later moving to Prahan, Melbourne, with a showroom and atelier, the label bespoke of evening and bridal wear. Both designers were from Italian backgrounds and use traditional methods in creating their unique gowns. J'Aton Couture have been recipients of many prestigious awards, including the 2009 Prix de Marie Claire Awards for the "Best Eveningwear Designers". Many high profile women have worn the label including Tina Arena, Dita von Teese, Charlize Theron, Kylie Minogue and Dannii Minogue, Melissa George, Delta Goodrem, Lily Cole and Keisha Whitaker. For the 2009 Academy Awards Ceremony, J'Aton also dressed Heath Ledger's mother, Sally Bell, for her acceptance of his posthumous Academy Award. On the 10th December 2008 fire engulfed the labels atelier, which was above the Greville Street showroom. The substantial financial loss and the event of the fire and clean-up itself, forced the designers to delay J'Aton Couture's move to New York.

J'Aton designed wedding dress.

Paul Smith (1946 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to present
Smith started out as a men’s wear designer, creating clothing for men who were interested in breaking free of the traditional three-piece suit, but still needed to appear professional. Smith uses bright, bold colors alongside classical silhouettes. In 1998 he opened up a women’s wear collection and operates retails stores around the world.

Paul Smith’s suit.

Zimmermann (House establish in 1991 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to present
Sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann founded their namesake label in 1991 in Sydney, Australia. They fast won a loyal following - smart, sartorially savvy women with an eye for quality fabrics and clever cutting. More recently, the demand from its growing international clients has seen the opening of Zimmermann stores in the United States – including spaces on Mercer Street, New York, Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles and Newtown Lane in East Hampton. The Zimmermann collection for Autumn/Winter 2013 featured frankly feminine dresses in soft, warm natural tones of almond, pale yellow, gold and grey — just the thing for warming up a cool day.

The Sydney-born label exudes a delicate femininity.

Martin Margiela (1957 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to prresent
Highly influential in contemporary fashion, Margiela was a member of the original Antwerp Six. He has always treated fashion as a philosophical pursuit, working from cerebral concepts such as deconstructionism and unconventional perceptions of beauty. He ignores trends, preferring to re-work existing ideas until they are exhausted in his own artistic process.

Margiela’s long, figure-fit, inside-out dress in lining fabric with a visible zip at the side.

Dolce & Gabbana (Dolce, 1958 - ; Gabbana, 1962 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to present
Dolce & Gabbana is an Italian luxury industry fashion House founded in 1985 in Legnano by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The two met in Milan in 1980, working for the same fashion house. These Italian designers frequently use Italian iconography, sex and controversial advertising to promote their label. Originally referencing Sicilian heritage, their collections have evolved, often using leopard print, corsets and the colors black and red to produce form-fitting sexy clothing.

The modern and sexy women’s dress, leopard pattern dress and corset dresses are good enough reason to be loved by Beyonce and Madonna.

Isaac Mizrahi (1961 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to present
Mizrahi is consistently inspired by two types of women: the Hollywood actress of the 1950s and the savvy New York woman. His clothing is bright and cheerful but never childish, often relying on familiar, simple silhouettes that employ unique texture and color combinations. Mizrahi has become widely recognized designer because of his documentary movie – Unzipped – and his charismatic personality.

Hilary Swank in a Isaac Mizrahi dress.

Michael Kors (1959 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to present
Kors has developed a loyal following for his playful, relaxed approach to American classics. Creating wearable and comfortable clothing with a light hearted twist, often rooted in uniquely American themes such as Palm Beach and Aspen, Kors uses bold graphic patterns and colors along with sportswear staples of camel, charcoal, black and white.

Michael Kors’ New York Fashion Week (Spring/Summer 2014).

Dries Van Noten (1958 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to present
Originally part of the Antwerp Six collective, Van Noten has established himself as a very different designer from the other five designers originally from Belgium. Van Noten’s work is often marked by an eclectic combination of silhouettes, colors and prints inspired by places such as India, Central Asia and of course, Europe.

Dries Van Noten’s ready-to-wear look (Spring 2015).

Ann Demeulemeester (1959 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to present
A member of the Antwerp Six, Demeulemeester works within a strict color palette most often focused on the color black. Her clothing is a play of opposites, namely the slouchy men’s wear inspired lines contrasted with a romanticism and softness that appears in every collection. She often cites singer Patti Smith as an inspiration and muse for her work.

Ann Demeulemeester’s long dress.

John Galliano (1960 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to present
Galliano is known for his historical odes to dress as much for his grand runaway productions that require enormous sums of money to produce and which always creates a press sensation. Producing under his own label as well as for the House of Dior, Galliano’s work is focused on highly glamorous, historically referenced and exquisitely crafted gowns that have made him notorious in the world of contemporary fashion.

Galliano’s grand runaway productions and clothing.

Alberta Ferretti (1950 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to present
Ferretti is often inspired by her Italian roots when producing her richly colored cocktail dresses. Known for the dressmaking details in her feminine dresses, Ferretti has a loyal following of the jet-set elite.

Alberta Ferretti at the Milan Fashion Week (Spring 2014 Collection).

Christopher Chronis (1961 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to present
Chronic grew up in the inner-city Melbourne suburb of Richmond, which is where his parents, both from Greece, settled. After high school Chronis commenced a civil engineering degree but during the first year of his course he dropped out when he realized his passion was for the fashion industry. He pursued a sales position with a major high fashion shoe retailer - Mr Figgins - and within a year was promoted to a managerial position making him one of the youngest managers within the company. In 1981 he joined the fashion designers Merivale and Mr John, in the retail department of their Melbourne store and in 1983 he commenced an apprenticeship with designer Demitrius, which involved production and design. Chronis opened his first store in Chapel Street, South Yarra (Melbourne). Other stores were opened in the Melbourne, Sydney, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. In 2000 after Chronis was on the brink of financial ruin the stores were seized by receiver KPMG. Mr Chronis reported that his business would be rescued by a group of investors - Tony Mokbel with associate Jack Smit - who borrowed $1.4 million to buy designer Christopher Chronis' business. Christopher is the head of design for Global Designer Brands, and has designed for the Playboy Icon luxury evening wear collection for men and women and he has also opened Playboy concept boutiques in Australia, New Zealand and a London flagship store in Oxford Street.

A Christopher Chronis dress.

Kay Cohen (1952 - )
Influential Period: 1990s to present
Kay Cohen (born Kathleen Siddall in Levin, New Zealand) is an Australian fashion designer and business woman based in Sydney, Australia. Cohen has led a number of lingerie design brands, most notably as Founder and Creative Director of Pleasure State and as General Manager and Creative Director of Elle Macpherson's lingerie label - Elle Macpherson Intimates. Cohen is also known as the inventor of the Biofit uplift bra. Cohen merged Pleasure State with her former company Bendon in May 2010, and has relinquished her interest in the company. Cohen then launched her new brand "Silent Assembly" in Paris at the Mode City Lingerie fair in July 2013. Silent Assembly is a luxury lingerie label which features Kay Cohen's new bra technology - Curvessence - which was intended to replace underwires.

Curvessence model.

Alannah Hill (1963 - )
Influential Period: Late 1990s to present
Hill was born in Geeveston, Tasmania, but spent much of her childhood in the coastal town of Penguin. At the age of 17 she moved to Melbourne (Australia) where she hoped to establish an acting career. Whilst waitressing in a cafe, she was offered a job at a fashion store (Indigo) in Chapel Street, South Yarra, where she worked for fifteen years, before starting her own fashion design label in 1996. Hill opened her first boutique in 1997, and with the financial backing of Melbourne-based business Factory X, established 42 Alannah Hill stores in Australia as well as being stocked in David Jones stores. In late 2013, Hill announced she had walked away from her fashion business following a dispute with the label's owner Factory X. Alannah Hill now has her own fashion label called Louise Love. She currently designs for her small business, whilst Factory X designs for the brand that carries her name.

Alannah Hill Autumn/Winter collection.

Lisa Ho (1960 - )
Influential Period: Early 2000s to 2013
She began sewing at age four inspired by her grandmother of African descent, a tailors, whom Ho says she "...probably drove mad". Ho made patterns out of newspaper and by age 10 had a sewing machine at the end of the kitchen table "...that nobody was allowed to move," which she used every day to make things for herself and her four sisters. In 1982 Lisa Ho started her career at the Paddington markets (Sydney) for only 6 weeks with her designs that quickly brought her retail and media attention and so began the "Lisa Ho" brand. Her international reputation was first recognised during the Sydney Olympic 2000 opening ceremony, which featured a special Lisa Ho designed segment celebrating her role in Australian fashion. She was also asked to design the gown worn by Olivia Newton-John for her performance to welcome the Olympic athletes. Her pieces have been seen on a bevy of celebrities including Delta Goodrem, Miranda Kerr, Sarah Wynter, Elle Macpherson and Jennifer Lopez. Ho’s future is currently in limbo, as the Lisa Ho Group was recently closed down due to being deeply in debt.

Highlights from her Autumn/Winter 2013 collection include fitted jackets with A-line or pencil skirts in colors of black, blue and wine.

Francisco Costa (1964 - )
Influential Period: Early 2000s to present
Costa known for his spare, graphic and experimental style, has shifted the image of the House of Calvin Klein. He has used a variety of colors, from acidic layers of citrus to pearly whites and deep blacks, while maintaining the architectural aesthetic developed by founder Klein. Costa frequently innovates silhouette and develops many of the futuristic fabrics and prints that are exclusive to the House.

Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein.

Stella McCartney (1971 - )
Influential Period: Early 2000s to present
The daughter of the former Beatle – Sir Paul McCartney – Stella achieved fame after becoming the design director for the House of Chloe. In 2001 she joined the Gucci Group to form her eponymous line. She is known as much for her outspoken views of animal rights as she is for her own brand of updated 1970s and 1980s classics, unique prints and interesting tailored pieces that are geared to a youthful consumer.

Stella McCartney opened her show with felt (Autumn/Winter 2008-9).

Narciso Rodriguez (1961 - )
Influential Period: Early 2000s to present
Rodriguez came to international prominence after creating the simple yet elegant wedding dress for Carolyn Bessette Kennedy who married John F. Kennedy Jr. His training at Calvin Klein influenced his own sense of minimalist style, which uses a graphic color palette with precise seaming and construction details. He brings a fresh perspective to wearable clothing.

The stunning minimalism of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's gown, designed by Narciso Rodriguez for her 1996 marriage to John F. Kennedy.

Proenza Schouler (Lazaro Hermandez, 1979 - ; Jack McCoullough, 1977 - )
Influential Period: Early 2000s to present
Despite their youth, the designers Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCoullough have proven themselves to be a design team with lasting power. The creative duo approaches style and culture through a fresh perspective that has earned them numerous prestigious accolades within the fashion world.

Nicolas Ghesquiére (1971 - )
Influential Period: Early 2000s to present
Ghesquiére is often deswcribed as a futurist, experimenting with shape, color, fabrics and construction to create consistently trend-setting pieces. Since 1997 at the age of twenty-six, Ghesquiére has worked under the House of Balenciaga, closely examining the master’s collection and interpreting the ideals of the House in a wholly unique and futuristic way.

Nicholas Ghesquière has been named artistic director of women’s wear at Louis Vuitton (2013).

Hussein Chalayan (1970 - )
Influential Period: Early 2000s to present
Chalayan is an artist, philosopher and designer of innovative wearable clothing. Ignoring trends, Chalayan creates clothing, runaway-show theatrics and music that seamlessly blend into each other to shape a performance piece of abstract meaning. As a conceptual designer, he is consistently cited in books as an example of a designer who is more interested in the mind than the pocket book.

Hussein Chalayan fashion and technology exhibit.

Junya Watanabe (1961 - )
Influential Period: Early 2000s to present
A protégé of Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons, Watanabe is known for his remarkable construction techniques and his adoption of technologically advanced fabrics. He frequently chooses one theme for his collection, often deconstructing and reconstructing a singular idea in an amazing array of versions.

Looks from the Junya Watanabe show at Paris Fashion Week (2014).

Veronique Branquinho (1973 - )
Influential Period: Early 2000s to present
Veronique Branquinho is known for her subtle, muted colors and clever mixing of masculine construction with soft, feminine drape and texture.

This collection by Veronique Branquinho was one full of bangles, high necks and graceful silk garments, all in an array of tan tones. The majority of designs were accompanied by arms full of layered, wooden bangles up to the elbows, along with elegant, fitted silk trousers placed under knee length dresses (Paris, 2014).

Sass & Bide (2001 - )
Influential Period: Early 2000s to present
Heidi Middleton and Sarah-Jane Clarke have come a long way since their humble beginnings of selling jeans they had customized from a stall at London’s Portobello Road Market. After relocating to Sydney, the pair unveiled their first collection at Australian Fashion Week in 2001. A chance meeting in New York with actress Sarah Jessica Parker led the designers to create a few pieces for "Sex and the City", which gave worldwide recognition to the Sass & Bide brand. The Sass & Bide Autumn/Winter collection ranges from floor-length knit dresses to separates of shiny yellow vinyl.

The Australian-founded label is now sold in over 20 countries worldwide and has walked London Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week runways. Sassy!

Viktor & Rolf (Viktor Horsting, 1969 - ; Rolf Snoeren, 1969 - )
Influential Period: Early 2000s to present
Dutch designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren repeatedly challenged the fashion status quo and created shows that explore innovative fabrics, silhouette and wear-ability. Their surrealist and abstracted approach to fashion has made them the subject of several books, along with gallery and museum exhibitions that highlight the connections between art and fashion.

Viktor & Rolf in Paris fashion week, 2014.

Julie Grbac (1978 - )
Influential Period: Early 2000s to present
Juli Grbac is an Australian fashion designer who was the first winner of Project Runway Australia. Hailing from Brisbane, Grbac studied fashion design at Gateway TAFE in Brisbane and later went on to study fashion design at London's School of St Martin's. Upon her return from London, Grbac worked as a hand sewer for various companies, including luxury brand Easton and Pearson, before starting her own label "Grbac" in 2002. Grbac's latest project is the uniform re-design of international airline Virgin Australia. Grab took inspiration from "...the glamour of flying in the 1960s but gave it contemporary edge". In 2011, the new uniforms which included a women's red shift dress and a men's three piece suit, were unveiled with a catwalk show featuring Elle Macpherson and 60 Virgin Australia crew members.

Julie Grbac and Virgin Blue launches her newly designed uniforms

Carmilla and Marc (Camilla Freeman-Topper, 1981 - ; Marc Freeman, 1979 - )
Influential Period: Early 2000s to present
"Camilla and Marc" is an Australian women’s fashion label launched in 2003 at Australian Fashion Week by Sydney-based brother and sister Camilla Freeman-Topper and Marc Freeman. Its style has been described as masculine tailoring with feminine silhouettes. Vogue Australia defined that the brand hallmarks as a combination of luxurious fabrics, colorful prints and eccentric details. In 2007, Camilla and Marc launched a swimwear range, known as C&M Camilla and Marc SWIM. Two years later, its first store opened in the Paddington suburb of Sydney, followed by a further store in Melbourne and an e-commerce site. In August 2012, the brand launched a C&M Camilla and Marc diffusion range in conjunction with the department store group David Jones. Designed as a "little sister" to the main brand, it included a full range at a lower price, including denim and swimwear, designed to appeal to a younger audience.

A line dress by Carmilla and Marc.

Toni Matičevski(1971 - )
Influential Period: Early 2000s to present
Toni Matičevski is a Melbourne-based fashion designer. Matičevski's parents migrated from Macedonia. He grew up in Seddon, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne with a sizable Macedonian community. Matičevski studied fashion at RMIT University, graduating with First Class Honours. After graduating he won a Fashion Group International Award resulting in a placement with Donna Karan in New York. Matičevski left for Paris to work two seasons at Cerruti. Matičevski returned to Melbourne in 1998 to launch his own label. In 2002 Matičevski won "Best New Designer" award at the L'Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival with his debut demo-couture collection. The same year saw his preliminary participation in the Mercedes-Benz Australian Fashion Week spring and summer collections. Most recently he was tied with Kit Willow for the 2005 "Prix de Marie Claire Best New Designer" award. Matičevski designs emotively, rejecting the norm to create such designs as his elegantly skeletal dresses, held together with a bondage system of raw edged silk straps. These "nonchalantly needy" dresses result in the wearer appearing like an intricately tied-up cloud. Matičevski has recently added a men's line to his label, with fluid draping neutral jackets and trousers.

Toni Maticevski was a stand-out with his innate ability to cut fabric that not only forms the silhouette of a woman effortlessly, it also allows the movement of the body to be exhibited in a graceful and powerful display of craftsmanship (2012 Melbourne Fashion Week).

Alistair Trung (1971 - )
Influential Period: Late 2000s to present
Born in Saigon in 1971 but raised and now based in Sydney, Trung’s fresh approach to his art is characterized by statements (presented on his website as "thoughts") like, “For me everything starts and ends with the body" etc. He now operates five fashion boutiques in Melbourne and Sydney and moreover, prefers using black for his collections. From the start of his career, he has designed clothing that was fluid and loose-fitting. Tung believes in designing clothing that is trans-seasonal, trans-occasional, trans-age, trans-size and trans-gender - traits which are personified through his eponymous label. The Sydney-based designer seeks intelligent solutions based on architectural cuts and an exploration of form, space and movement that liberates the body. Thinking in terms of shadows and shapes other than color and decoration, Trung’s silhouettes are artfully conceived, but always grounded by function.

2018 CrossXpollinatioN Exhibition - Journey's

Marie-Therese has been invited to be a 'Feature Artist' at the '2018 CrossXpollinatioN' exhibition which is themed 'Journey's'. Her ArtCloth Installation 'Timelines: An Environmental Journey' will be exhibited at the Colac Otway Performing Arts & Cultural Centre, Colac, Victoria from the 7th - 29th July 2018. The installation will feature works employing her signature MultiSperse Dye Sublimation (MSDS) technique on synthetic fibres.Click on the image to see how the Gondwana II was created.

Art Quill Studio @ Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair.

2018 Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair at the International Convention Centre, Sydney, from the 20th – 24th June.Art Quill Studio can be found at stand no. G29_LP1 where my unique and contemporary hand dyed, hand painted and hand printed ArtCloth fabric lengths, fat quarters, fabric samplers and scarves will be available as well as my one-off/limited edition digitally designed ArtCloth fabric lengths.Click on the image to view some of my fabric lengths and the techniques used to make them.

I have uploaded a new Glossary on my blogspot.The Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms is highly focused, containing definitions and terms pertinent to the specific categories in the title. Click on the image to access it!

MEMORIESWoven Heritage Exhibition

Marie-Therese's ArtCloth print, 'Memories' is included in the Zayed University Permanent Collection Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Click on the image to read about Marie-Therese's artwork/technique which was previously exhibited at a solo exhibition at Sydney's Eden Garden Gallery.

About Me

I work full time as a studio artist, researcher, author, curator, speaker and tutor. I am also the Director of Art Quill Studio, The Education Division of Art Quill & Co. Pty. Ltd. at Arcadia Vale, NSW, Australia. I teach as a casual lecturer at The University of Newcastle (Australia) and I am the former co-editor of Textile Fibre Forum art magazine.

Employing my signature techniques I specialize in the area of ArtCloth, artist printmaker books and limited edition prints.

Followers

My Most Visited Posts"When Rainforests Ruled" - ArtCloth Exhibition

My Scarves @ The Australian Craft Awards

My unique, hand dyed and printed silk rayon velvet and pashmina scarves are available for purchase. To purchase a scarf please contact - studio@artquill.com.au.Click on the image above to see my velvet ArtCloth scarves.

Welcome to Art Quill Studio

Art Quill Studio is a trademark of Art Quill & Co P/L, which is an Australian Company with no subsidiaries outside of Australia.

This blog will be dedicated to arousing world wide interest in: (a) using the medium of cloth to create a work of art; (b) promoting works on paper; (c) exploring concepts that are the basis of my current artworks; (d) offering opinions on art issues; (e) providing art resources to the public at large.